Opinions of Gormenghast

LCD · 14th February 2003, 06:34 PM

I've been thinking about buying a copy of Gormenghast. I've read that it is about four hours in length, but that the filming is very beautiful and is comparable to LOTR. Mr. Lee plays a character called Flay, as I understand.

For those of you who've seen Gormenghast, please tell me what you think. And how big of a part does Mr. Lee have? I've seen his photo on the website here from the film. It sounds like a very good production, but I'd love to know more before I make decision on getting the video. And does anyone know if the video is the complete series from the BBC? Thanks a bunch.

**Matt Gemmell** · 14th February 2003, 07:41 PM

I saw Gormenghast when it first aired on the BBC .
I found it a bit slow and had difficulty caring for any of the characters . That said , it's very well produced and worth a look .
My fatherinlaw , for one , thought it was excellent .

elizabeth vanharlingen · 15th February 2003, 04:57 AM

It's worth the watching. The production-in spite of compressing the story-was quite faithful in the representations of the characters.

That being said, Christopher Lee's Mr. Flay was a delight! The character was so tightly wound, yet so vulnerable at the same time...

Vandevere

**Dave Hutchens** · 15th February 2003, 06:07 AM

I agree with Matt completely, it was beautiful to look at but rather slow and tedious. I caught it on BBC America about three years ago.

Mr. Lee's is by far the most interesting and enjoyable character.

**Don Boycik** · 15th February 2003, 08:57 AM

I taped it off PBS I think it was last year or the year before i can't remember and i still haven't watched it! hard to believe i know but yes it's true. so does Mr. Lee have a big part in it?

Sarah · 15th February 2003, 03:25 PM

Mr. Lee

LCD · 15th February 2003, 04:55 PM

Sounds great. It's always a nice change of pace when Mr. Lee plays the hero. I've got quite a few movies to catch up on, but I'll definitely have to get this one some time in the near future. It's always super to find a new movie to watch with Mr. Lee it. The only thing will be to find a free four hours to watch it. (Usually, we can only watch movies in about half-hour chunks because of duties and responsibilities. Once in a while we get watch a whole movie, and it's quite a treat.)

**Patricia Smith** · 16th February 2003, 02:35 AM

It is something of an oversimplification to say that Mr. Lee's character, Mr. Flay, is exactly a hero in this story. There are not any real heroes per se in Gormenghast . This is what I actually liked best about the movie, aside from the beautiful sets, and artistic scenery - the three-dimensional characters of writer Mervyn Peake (who, incidentally, I understand Mr. Lee met), who are quite complex. This complexity of character comes across in how the actors portray the characters of the story.

Maybe this is not complexity and three-dimensionality as we would understand it in the world of modern movies. However, it is a concept that, when applied in terms of Peake's created world brought to life on the screen, works beautifully. I also felt that Mr. Flay certainly received a great deal more screen time than other characters Mr. Lee has portrayed of recent. Mr. Flay is quite a prominent character in the story, and as such, certainly has to receive that treatment for the story to make sense.

Josslyn · 18th February 2003, 02:36 AM

I for one loved Gormenghast. I didn't find it to be slow (although I could see how one could make that observation).
Mr. Lee's scenes are wonderful, particularly when he's dealing with Swelter. The rest of the cast is outstanding.